The army of the Democratic Republic of Congo has accused Rwanda of dressing up prisoners in military uniforms in an effort to pass them off as newly-captured rebels linked to the Rwandan genocide.It comes after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in eastern DR Congo said they had captured fighters from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) - a militia founded by ethnic Hutus who took part in the 1994 genocide against Rwanda's Tutsis.

Crowds fled as gunfire rang out at a rally held by the leader of the M23 rebel group, Corneille Nangaa, in Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern city of Bukavu on Thursday, residents said. Read more at straitstimes.

The latest conflict in eastern Congo has exposed endemic weaknesses in the country’s military, long known for corruption, extortion and abuse.

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels advanced on Sunday into the centre of Bukavu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, meeting little resistance from government troops, witnesses and the armed group said, as Congo accused Rwanda of ignoring calls for a ceasefire.

The DRC government has accused Rwanda of orchestrating the offensive, citing M23’s military precision and advanced weaponry as clear evidence of foreign support. Rwandan President Paul Kagame denies involvement,

M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo have captured the eastern city of Bukavu with the backing of Rwandan forces, the second major city in the mineral-rich Kivu region to fall in three weeks.

The UN human rights chief accused Rwanda-backed rebels who seized a second major city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) of killing children and attacking hospitals and warehouses storing humanitarian aid.

The Congo River Alliance, a group of rebel outfits including the Rwandan-backed M23, said its fighters "decided to assist the population of Bukavu" in addressing its security challenges under the "old regime".

As armed attacks intensify in North Kivu, villagers plead for prayers after discovering dozens of victims inside a Protestant church — another grim chapter in the region’s deepening crisis.